Vacuum bailer



Patented Au zo, 1935 I V 2,012,11 9

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,012,119 VACUUM BAILER u Balael a. Candee, Mcmttrick, Calif. Application September 21, 1934, Serial No. 744926 13 Claims. (CL 166-19) This invention is a bailer of the class used in attached any desired Operating stern |2 by which the art of well drilling for cleaning out the hole. the rod 8 and all its associated bailer parts are A general object of the invention is to greatly lowered and raised in the usual manner of a well increase the efllciency of this class of tool by the bailer. establishment of a substantial vacuum in the The rod 8 is of a length preferably somewhat 5 bailer barrel for the induction of as great a load greater than that of the bailer section 5 and has of material from the bottom of the hole as may attached to its lower end a draw head !3 of tubube practical. lar form and having a plurality of pendant, out- A further purpose is to provide a bailer which wardly facing latches |4 having pivots !5 at their lo may be emciently used as a tool to work up the upper ends sunk in the side walls of side slots IE; material at the bottom of the hole. the latches being pressed outwardly at their lower An object is to provide a bailer having a barrel ends by suitable springs I'I. in which there is a lockable piston adapted to be When the rod is pulled upwardly by its stern drawn in 'a vacuum-forming stroke and then the draw head 3 slides freely into a plunger body released so that the column of liquid in the well slidably fitted in banel 5 and on the rod 8 and 15 may be made useful against the inlet valve to incomposed of bottom sleeve l8 whose lower end is stantly force material loose in the bottom of the internally grooved at !9 near its lower end face so well up into the bailer chamber formed by the that the latches ll will automatically interlock receding piston. the draw head |3 with the sleeve in the position The invention consists of certain advanceof these parts as shown in Fig. 2. Bearing on 20 ments in this art as set forth in the ensuing disa the upper end face of the sleeve l8 and slidably .closure and having, with the above, additional surrounding the rod 8 is a thick, rubber packing objects and advantages as hereinafter developed, sleeve 20 whose lower end is cupped in the well and whose construction, combination and details known manner to spread outwardly and tightly of means, and the manner of operation will be seal on the bore wall of the bailer barrel section 25 made manifest in the description of the herewith 5 in which it is reciprocally mounted. illustrative embodiment; it being understood that On the upper end of the packer 20 there is a modifications, variations and adaptations may be crown ring 2! whose upper end face is recessed resorted to within the scope, principle and spirit to receive clamp nuts 22 on tie bolts 23 embedded of the invention as it is more directly claimed in and extending through the packer and being 30 V hereinafter. i inte'locked in any suitable manner to the plunger Figure 1 is a side elevation of an axially broken sleeve 88; nuts 24 being here shown for that purbailer and shows a fragment of its encasing well pose. The plunger sleeve !8, the packer 20 and c'asing. the crown ring 2! therefore constitute rigidly 3 Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the upper connected units forming aplunger. 5

section of the bailer, showing the parts as hung When the bailer is assembled its cage 9 is together for lowering into the casing. attached to the' stem !2. When the tool is Figure 3 is a sectional elevation showing the lowered into the well casing C; the bailer barrel piston tripped from its draw or piston rod and bushing G rests on the upper end face of the crown 40 as in its upper-or induction stroke position as ring 2! of the plunger which has been pulled to 40 effected by fluid pressure in the well in its tendtop position in the barrel 5 by the draw head !3 ency to reduce the vacuum. on the rod 8, Fig. 2. The latch hooks are held Figure 4 is a side elevation of an end portion intermeshed in the sleeve groove ne by action of of a packing element of the bailer shown partly the latch springs. 5 in section. The operator now lowers the bailer until the Figura 5 is cross-section on line 5 -55 of Fig. 2. shoe 2 strikes well'bottom when the bailer barrel A valved, inlet bailer shoe 2 of any desired type body is arrested in its descent while the rod 8, is attached to a barrel section 3 which in turn owing to the weight of the stem !2 moves downis attached by an internal nipple 4 to an upper wardly in the barrel and takes along with it the barrel section 5 whose top is closed by a bushing draw head !3, which in turn draws downwardly 0 B receiving a packing gland follower 1. the plunger 'a with its packer and crown-ring.

Working in the gland device is a plunger rod 8 It will be seen that as the crown ring 2I moves of tubular form topped by a valve cage 9 venting downwardly from the arrested bushing 6 of the lateraliy at its port Io above its closure I I, which barrel 5 a vacuum will be created below the gland 5 seats downwardly in the cage. To the cage is and above the plunger body; the space 'in the barrel being bled through the tubular rod 8 to the vent port il of the top valve 8, and the valve 2' of the shoe 2 being closed, in the absence of an entrapped fish, or well debris.

When, eventually, the proJected latches ll engage the top end of the inside nipple I, Fig. 3, they will be pushed inwardly and therefore release the attached plunger sleeve s and this, due to ,the unbalanced liquid pressure in the bottom of the bailer, will immediately rush upwardly in 'thebarrel section 5 to destroy the vacuum above the crown ring 2l. This upward rush of the plunger greatly agitates the muck at the bottom of the well, or at the part of a fish which may have intercepted the bailer in its descent in the well and greatly facilitates the function of the tool in cleaning out sand or loosenlng or entrapping a fish.

The draw-head may be latched to and released from the plunger as many times as desired without pulling the bailer from the well, since the bailer will bleed through the vent w of valve cage 9 when the rod and the plunger and head descend in the arrested barrel, under pressureof the stem parts.

A double suction eifect is acquired by reason, first, of the upward rush of the released plunger !8, and, second, by reason of the ascent of the rodin the barrel when the loaded bailer is to be pulled from the well.

It will be observed that there is no valve device directly associated with the 'vacuum chamber formed between the gland parts 0-1 and the plunger; hence the Simplicity of the vacuum device. v I

The device 9- is a simple check valve opening during downward movement of the tubular rod 8 and allowing outflow of liquid at the port o into the well, but closing when the bailer is pulled up.

When the plunger lB-!O has been tripped from the draw head I 3 (following the vacuum forming stroke) the released plunger is forced back to its upper position against the crown 2| by the hydrostatic pressure of fluid entering the barrel past the foot valve 2 As the plunger moves downwardly the check valve Il opens for outlet of displaced liquid.

The packing body 20 forms a packing slidably fltting on the rod 8 and along the shell 5 and is cupped at its bottom end to increase efflciency. The vacuum chamber of the shell is imperforate.

What is claimed is:

1. A vacuum bailer having, barrel, a rod working in the forming plunger and means whereby it is slidably packed in the barrel and on the rod,.means to connect theplunger to the rod to draw the plunger 'on the vacuum stroke, and means to automatically release the plunger for reverse stroke under well fluid pressure.

2. A vacuum bailer having a barrel, and movable .plunger means dividing the barrel into a bottom charge receiving chamber and into an upper vacuum chamber, and rod means having a connective and disconnective device for interlocking with and controlling the said movable plunger means.

3. A vacuum bailer having a barrel with an imperforate upper portion, a movable means dividing the barrel into a bottom charge receiving chamber and into'an upper vacuum chamber at said portion, and means for positively effecting a vacuum forming movement of the movable in combination, a barrel, a vacuum means and' including means providing for free reverse movement of the said movable means as to its positive actuating means.

4. A vacuum bailer having a barrel, a movable means dividing the barrel into a bottom charge receiving chamber and into an upper vacuum chamber, actuating means for positively moving the movable means in one direction ancl including a device for tripping the movable means from the actuating means and allowing its free opposite movement under fluid reaction.

5. A vacuum bailer having a barrel, an inlet bailing shoe therefor, and means operative in the barrel and producing a sealed vacuum therein when the bailer is arrested and the said means moves down toward the shoe, said: means including a plunger and an actuator therefor; and a device to automatically release the plunger from the actuator at a predetermined position ot the plunger.

6. A vacuum bailer having a barrel having an imperforate upper portion, an inlet shoe therefor, and means operative ,in the imperforate portion of the barrel and producing a vacuum therein when the bailer is arrested and the said means moves toward the shoe; and means for efl'ecting said movement of the first named means and its subsequent release for free reverse movement under fluid pressure in excess of the vacuum above the vacuum means.

7. A vacuum bailer having a barrel, an inlet bailing shoe therefor, and valve-less means operative in the barrel and producing a vacuum therein when the bailer is arrested and the said means moves toward the shoe and adapted for free movement away from the shoe under fluid pressure, and a mechanism whereby it is forced in one direction and is released at a predetermined position.

8. A bailer having a barrel with an inlet shoe on its lower end and being closed and imperforate at its top, a plunger having means whereby it is packed in the barrel to produce a vacuum in the closed portion by movement toward the shoe, and actuating means to move the plunger on its effective stroke and having a device whereby to release it from the actuating means for free well-fluid pressure return.

9. A vacuum bailer having a barrel with an inlet shoe, and means to lower the bailer into a well and to pull it, and including a plunger in the bailer capable of plunger, when the barrel is arrested.

10. A vacuum bailer having a barrel with an inlet shoe, a plunger working in the barrel and dividing it into an intake chamber and a vacuum chamber, and a plunger rod working in the barrel and on which the plunger works means for lowering the barrel and plunger in and having holding the said means including a piston device I and having means for lowering the barrel and holding the plunger in an upper position and !or drawing down the plunger to form a vacuum thereabove when the balle! is arrested; said means including a device to'release the plunger from the rod at a predetermined position in the barrel. V

12. A vacuum bailer having a 'barrel with an inlet shoe and a head, a plunger rod working in,

the barrel head, a draw head fixed on the rod, and a plunger working in the barrel above the shoe and below the barrel head and positively operated on the down stroke to form a vacuum by action of said-draw head, and means to automatically connect and automatically disconnect the plunger i and the draw head.

13. A bailer of the type set forth in claim 12, and having means' fixed in the barrel to eifect -disconnection of the plunger at a predetemiined position thereof in 'the barrel to free the punger for fluid pressure reaction against the vacuum side. l

R. CANDEE. 

